Animal-trap.



l. E. RUBY.

ANIMAL TRAP. v APPLiCATION FILED JAN- 16 I91?- 4 Patented Dec. 11, 1917.

W/ TNESSES ATTORNEYS Jonn RUBY; oFi INnI -nAPoLIs;INDIANA: 7

To all iukom it may concern:

The. object ofthe inventionis toprovide anewand improved animal trap which is A Beit known that I, JOHN a citizen of. the United States, and'a resident of Indianapolis, in the county of lVlarion and State of Indiana, have invented a; new 3 and Improved Animal-T rap,. of whichffthe following is.afull; .clea'r, andexact jdescripf t'ion.

Theinvention relates to animal trapshaving. one: or more sprin'grpressed jaws...

simple and. durable in construction and arranged to automatically lock the jaw or jaws inactive position. Another object is to 'permit of settingthetrap Without theoperator w-hen moved by the operator into activeor using. the hands.

In order to accomplish the; desired".resu use is made of abaseon which are.;mount'edf spring-pressed trapping means,"a bait car .rier mounted to swing onthe base and providedwith an angular retaining catchfandjr a locking. lever fulcrumed on the base and; adapted to-lock the said trapping means in open active position,.the free end ofthe said locking lever being adapted to engage the saidretaining,catch and. the pivotal end of the said locking lever being provided with ing. lever into locking engagement with the trapping. means andto' engage the free. end

of the said' loeking lever with the said re-i tainingcatch of the balt'carrier.

A; practical embodiment of the invention.

is represented in the accompanying draw-' ingsaforming a part of this specification, in

which similar characters of reference indi-I cate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is. a perspective view of the anima l trap with the parts in set position;

Fig. 2 a sectional side elevation of the same. with the. parts in. unset position;

l the line of Fig. 2;

'Fig. 3' is a similar view of the same with I Fig. 4 is a cross sectionfof the;

The base 10' of the animal trap; shown inf Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4: is preferably in the form of'a metallic plate provided atv the sides. with struck-upside flangesl'tin-which is" held a transversely extending pivot 12 10* an angular arm adapted to be engaged by' the said trapping means to swing the lock-' ANI1VIAIr TRAPi l the base 1.0;. Onthepivot12ifs monnted to swing up and dQQWnIaQjaw' 13, preferably, of.

shape, and 1 adapted lto CQipQt.,with the; for ward" portion of fthebase lOto trap {the ani- ;Inal,'-. asIhereinafter. more fully explained.

,Thejaw 13 ispressedon by. the e.n(1$. f. a spring; lllprovidedjwithtwo' spacedlcOilSlh andjfw'ithj an; arm. L6, intermediate the. said" coils 151;. and," resting on. the. base 1.0; The

' pivot l2extendsl'oosely throughthecoils .15.

Inaorder to setthe jaw 13 use is preferably made of. a; foot ,piee 20, madeH Ul. shape andl monntedito. swing loosely on. the pivot" 12. Arms 21'. are mounted. to swing; loosely on, the piv0t12iandv each, arm, is provided at'its forward end, witha return bent. portion 22 straddling the; corresponding flside arm of the jaw liiialrld the rear endflofea'ch arm 21' is provided. with a returnrbendl23 straddling the corresponding arm of the foot piece- 20. The return. bent portions, 22 and'l23ofeach arm 21jextend approximately at a, right, angle one to. the other, andl the return bent: portion 22 is bent outwandly while the return bent portion 23' extends; in-

wardly' to permit the foot piece 20 to. fold within thejaw l3 -when thetrap isnot used.

When. the jaw "13 is in inactiveposition' on top of the forward portion'ofthe base lO and the foot piece 20 is swung; upward into .an approximately vertical position then. the

returnjbentportions 22 and 23 engage the correspondinsr'side arms of the jaw l3 and theflfoot. piece 20 respectively. The operator news by applying the foot to the forward ec'lge of; the foot piece 20" canswing the latter" rearwardly and" downwardly, and in, doing so. the. foot piece carries the arms 21' along: whereby an upward swinging movement is given, to the jaw" 13 against the tension of its springl ti' x In. order to automatically lock the foot piece. 20 and the jaw 13 inset, position,.the following arrangement is made: A loaitzcar- ,ri'er25 ismounted to swing loosely on the pivot 1'2 approximately at the middle thereof; and this'bait carrier 25' is provided with a forwardly extending member 26 terminatingin points 27- for holding-the bait. The

bait, carrier 25 is further rovid'ed with area'rwardly extending inem er 28" of sufiieient weight to overbalance the forward Specification ofLettersZPatent: i. P'afiented"])ec; 113 19157, 1 ApplicationfiledJannary16,191%.. Serial 1%. 142,592.

member 26 and the bait carried thereby so that the member 28 normally rests on the base 10. lhe bait carrier 25 is further provided with an upwardly extending catch 29 located a short distance in front of the pivot 12, and the upper end ofthis catch 29 is provided at its rear face with a shoulder 30 adapted to be engaged by the free end of a locking lever 35 provided with an angular.

portion 36 having downwardly extending lugs 37 mounted to swing on a'transverse pivot 38 held in the side flanges 11 near the rear ends thereof. A lug 39, is struck up from the basev 10 and extends between the lugs 37 to hold the locking lever 35 against "lateral shifting on the pivot 38. The heel portion 36 of the locking lever 35 is, provided with an angular arm 40 adapted to'be engaged by the middle portion of the foot piece 20 at the time the latter is swung rearwardly and downwardly by the operator applying the foot to the foot piece 20, as previously explained.

It is understood that when setting the trap the foot piece 20 is swung into vertical position and likewise the locking lever 35, as

V the foot piece 20 engages the arm 40 and in doing so a further forcible downward swinging movement is given to the locking lever 35 whereby the'free end thereof causes a slight swinging movement of the bait carrier 25 to engage the free end of the locking lever 35 with the under side of the shoulder 30 (see Fig. 1 and dotted lines in Fig. 3). When the operator new releases the pressure on the foot piece 20 the parts are held in set position owing to the locking lever 35 extending over the middle portion of the foot piece 20 and the free end of the locking lever 35 engaging the shoulder 30. The trap is now set with the jaw 13 in raised position. Now in case an animal nibbles at the bait held on the pins 27' of the bait carrier 25 then the forward end thereof is caused to swing downward whereby the shoulder 30 moves away from the free end of the locking lever 35 and consequently the foot piece 20 is unlocked and with it the jaw 13 to allow the spring 14 to swing the jaw 13 downward onto the neck of the animal to trap the same in conjunction with the base 10.

Having thus described my invention, 1

upwardly and provided with a shoulder, and

a locking lever fulcrumed on the said base and provided with an angular arm adapted to be engaged by the said foot piece to swing. the said lever downward to'extend over the foot'piece and the free end of the saidlever into engagement with the catch of the trig ger.

2. In an animal trap, a spring-pressed jaw mounted to swing and provided'at its fulcrum end with an angular arm and a foot piece mounted to swing and having its axis coincldmg with the axis of the sa1d aw,

the said foot piece being adapted to engagev the said angular arm to swing the jaw into open active position, a bait carrier mounted to swing and having a forwardly extending member adapted to carry the bait and having a rearwardly extending member adapted to overbalance the said forward member, the said bait carrier having an upwardly extending integral catch immediately in front of the axis of the carrier,'and a locking lever provided at its fulcrum end with an angular arm adapted to be engaged by the said foot piece to swing the locking lever downward over the said foot piece and to engage the free end of the locking lever with the said catch. I

3. In an animal trap, a base provided with a transverse pivot, a spring-pressed jaw mounted to swing on the said pivot and adapted to coact with the base to trap the animal, a foot piece mounted to swing on the said pivot, a connecting arm fulcr'umed on the said pivot and having bearings engaged by the said jaw and the said foot piece, a bait carrier mounted to swing on the said pivot and having an overbalancing rear end, the bait carrier having an upwardly extending catch, and a locking lever controlled by the said foot piece and adapted to engage the said catch, the locking lever being adapted to lock the foot piece in rearward se-t position.

4. In an animal trap, a pivoted and spring pressed jaw, a foot piece mounted on the pivot of the jaw, arms mounted on the pivot of the jaw and foot piece and having bent portions engaging the jaw and foot piece, a bait holder having a catch, and a. l cking lever for engaging the catch of the bait tively connected with the jaw, and a pivoted 1o holder, said lever being operated by the foot locking lever for engaging the catch of the piece to swing it over the foot piece into bait holder, said' lever having an angular engagement with the catch of the baitportion from which project downwardly ex- 5 holder. tending lugs by which the lever is pivoted,

5. In an animal trap, a base having a lug said angular portion being adapted to enat one end, a pivoted and spring pressed jaw gage the lug of the base to hold the lever in mounted on the base, a pivoted bait holder vertical position. having acatch, a pivoted foot piece 0pera- JOHN E. RUBY.

copies at this patent may be obtained tor five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner o! Patente,

Washington, D. 0. 

